OSHA Inspection: BASIC ENERGY SERVICES LP

Issued

Feb 13, 2008

Abate by

Feb 19, 2008

Penalty

Initial $5,000

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which was free from
recognized hazards
that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to
employees in that
employees were exposed to the hazard of a gas well blowout due to the
usage of a Guiberson
JU Stripper Head in a manner that did not adhere to the manufacturer's
specifications and
instructions.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this
hazard
is to ensure that the well supervisor and crew have a thorough working
knowledge of all applicable well control principles and equipment employed
for
stripping in accordance with Section 21.3 (Personnel Preparedness) of the
American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice 53, Recommended
Practices for Blowout Prevention Equipment Systems for Drilling Wells.
DISCLAIMERS:
1) You are not limited to the abatement methods suggested above.
2) The methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases.
3) The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an
appropriate
method.